http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.comUseful online climbing information, tips and guidelines for Mount Kinabalu adventure travelers.2006(c)RdaudRuhaizad DaudFeedSpring - http://feedspring.com/Wed, 20 Sep 2006 02:46:25 GMThttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rsshttp://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/blog/index.phpOfficial blog for Mount Kinabalu Borneo.com by the author, Rdaud.http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/gallery/index.phpMount Kinabalu community photo gallery.http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/mount-kinabalu-history.htmlMount Kinabalu towers 4095 meters (13,435 feet) above sea level. It is the highest mountain between the mighty snow-capped Himalayas and Wilhelmina (4509 meters / 14,793 feet) in Irian Jaya. It is also one of the most accessible and spectacular mountains in the world. Because of the earth movement, in is still growing with the rate of 5 mm (1/4 inches) a year. http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/mount-kinabalu-legends.htmlUntil now, Kinabalu's name is still a mystery. The most popular view derives it from the Kadazan words, Aki Nabalu, meaning 'the revered place of the dead'. The local Kadazandusuns belief that their spirits dwell on the mountain top. Among the bare rocks of the summit grows a moss which early Kadazandusun guides said provided food for the spirits of their ancestor.http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/mount-kinabalu-people.htmlThe flanks of Kinabalu are inhibited by the local Kadazandusun people, hill farmers who practice shifting cultivation. Traditional crops such as hill rice, tapioca and sweet potatoes are still grown extensively, but in the 50's the introduction of temperate vegetable farming was started and changed the way of life for many. By 1958 the government approved list of vegetables included cabbages, carrots, french beans, celery, capsicums and tomatoes. Today, roses and chrysanthemums and other cut flowers are also grown.http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/mount-kinabalu-geology.htmlMount Kinabalu is split down the middle by a 1 1/2 kilometer deep gorge. The result is a "U" shape, with the two sides Kinabalu East and Kinabalu West, stretching over a kilometer apart. This led people to assume that the mountain was an old volcano. However, recent evidence proves differently. It reveals Mount Kinabalu as the youngest granite pluton in the world. http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/mount-kinabalu-vegetation.html"Only at Mount Kinabalu can you eat breakfast in a lowland rain forest, lunch in a cloud forest, and enjoy dinner in a subalpine meadow!" How can that be possible? I will explain how...http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/getting-to-kinabalu.htmlMost overseas traveler will arrive in Malaysia by aeroplane. The standard route to get to Kota Kinabalu is by air, via Kuala Lumpur in Peninsular Malaysia, to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, and then onwards to the park overland. Swimming from the Peninsular Malaysia or southern Phillipine is not an option...http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/mount-kinabalu-tips.htmlBorneo has a tropical climate with an average daily temperature around 32°C (90°F) and a relative humidity between 85 and 95%. In the mountains it can still be quite hot during the day, but is considerably cooler at night when the temperature at the Kinabalu Park HQ and Mesilau can drop to 15°C (60°F). In Sabah the main rainy seasons are from November to January when the rains come with the north east monsoon, and from May to July, with the south west monsoon.http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/mount-kinabalu-companions.htmlWould you like to know more about Sabah and especially Mount Kinabalu before you start your journey? Would you like to have something in your hands that you can refer to during your journey in an unfamiliar places like Mount Kinabalu? Would you like to have something as a souvenir or a referrence eventhough you have climb Mount Kinabalu several times? http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/kota-kinabalu-hotels.htmlYou'd get away from your daily routines and the regular faces - your boss, your mom, your sister, your neighbours, your friend, your cats and your dogs.... So, if you agree with me, then start planning for your journey to Mount Kinabalu. Keep in mind that you must put your budget as a "#1". There are many places to stay in Kota Kinabalu that are great, comfortable-and-affordable to stay while you're in Kota Kinabalu.http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/kota-kinabalu-lodges.htmlWell, if you think that five star hotel is not your choice of place to stay in Kota Kinabalu, try travelers or backpackers lodge. Almost all of the lodges situated in the city center. It would be very easy for you to go around in the city as most of the important places is just a walking distance away. The easiest way to get to most of the lodges from the airport is by taxi. It would cost you RM10 to RM15 from the airport.http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/kota-kinabalu-eating.htmlSabah, The Land Below The Wind, is famous with its delicious seafood. Your journey to Sabah is not complete if do not have a try of their wide variety of seafood. All of the restaurants that is shown here provides live creatures - fishes, crabs, prawns and lobster in aquariums - all are alive and you have a choice to choose which one you would like to eat. All of the restaurants are in Kota Kinabalu city, means that you do not have to take any transport to the place. You can just walk to the place, mostly about 10 to 20 minutes away from most of the hotels in the city.http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/borneo-books.htmlImagine this situation: You came to Sabah with your family - your wife, your son and your daughter - planned to climb Mount Kinabalu for your family adventure vacation. You arrive in Kota Kinabalu city a few days earlier (because you want to get use to the place, the weather and the food around) and stay in a nice travelers/backpackers lodge in the center of Kota Kinabalu city.http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/mount-kinabalu-equipment.htmlThe best advice when planning a trip to such places as Mount Kinabalu is to use your common sense. It is better for you to divide the climbing equipment into 2 parts. The first one would be from Timpohon Gate at Kinabalu Park HQ to Laban Rata and the second one from Laban Rata to the summit.http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/mount-kinabalu-health.htmlClimbing Mount Kinabalu is usually a "once in a lifetime" experience for most people, so is vital that proper preparations are made beforehand. With superior information and sufficient time to prepare, you stand an extremely good chance of reaching the summit. You have prepared all the necessary climbing preparation earlier, but what about your health and fitness? Are you fit enough to climb the highest mountain in South East Asia?http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/mount-kinabalu-medical.htmlAfter preparing your health and fitness before the climb, you have to prepare for any medical ailments during the climb. Most of the problems during the climb involved are acute mountain sickness, ankle and knee injuries, hand blisters and stomach problem (from the untreated mountain water). It is advisable for you to have your own personal first aid pack. Although your guide and the Kinabalu Park Rangers have first aid box, most of the time it is not that complete.http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/road-to-kinabalu.htmlThe journey to Kinabalu Park HQ starts early on the next morning after you have a good night sleep, and maybe delicious seafood the night before. Pack your things up, have some breakfast and head for the Kota Kinabalu main bus station. It would be better if you could go out early, maybe around 7.00am as the city becomes more congested after that.http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/mount-kinabalu-summit-trail-1.htmlSummit Trail is the trail that you will be using to climb to the Mount Kinabalu peak. After having a nice rest overnight at Kinabalu Park HQ chalet, you should wake up before 6.30am and get ready with all your climbing gear. Have a breakfast and go to the Kinabalu Park HQ office to get your climbing permit, a name tag, your guide and maybe porter (if necessary).http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/mount-kinabalu-summit-trail-2.htmlYou will arrive in Laban Rata (on the Summit Trail of Mount Kinabalu) at about 2.00pm the most. You can have some meals to regain back your energy in the resthouse's restaurant. Bear in mind that the prices of the food there is quite expensive. It is because the raw material are brought up there everyday - by foot. For example, the ordinary 'mee goreng' (fried mee) is about RM8.00 to RM10.00 per plate (normally it would cost about RM3.50 everywhere else). Be prepared with some extra money, so that you can have your meals properly - at about 10,000 feet above sea level! The restaurant serve local and some western dishes.http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/mesilau-mount-kinabalu.htmlMesilau Trail is an alternative trail to climb Mount Kinabalu. It starts from Mesilau Nature Resort, 15 kilometers away past Kinabalu Park HQ. To reach the resort, you have to follow the highway past the Kinabalu Park HQ, 6 kilometers (4 miles) down to Kundasang. Just beyond the vegetable stalls that are such a feature of Kundasang, the road turns left for another 11 kilometers (7 miles), descending steeply to cross the small Liwagu river.http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/lnt.html With the rise in popularity of backpacking and climbing, the mountains around the world are being visited by ever increasing numbers of people. We are drawn to the mountains for their beauty, purity, remoteness, ruggedness, and the unique challenges they present. The mountains are our home, and it can sometimes be challenging to Leave No Trace and maintain the natural beauty of the wilderness areas we explore.http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/longhouse.htmlNow that you have safely climbed down from Mount Kinabalu, you can extend your stay in Sabah for another few days - if your budget permitted. One of the place that you can go and spend a few days with only a fraction of your budget is Rungus Longhouse. The Rungus people, a sub-group of the KadazanDusun community, are known for their longhouse, beadwork and weaving.http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/poring.htmlThe Poring Hot Springs ranger station lying 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Kinabalu Park HQ in the humid lowlands is a complete contrast to the cool environment of Kinabalu Park HQ. The sealed road to Poring leads past the cabbage and flower farms of Kundasang and beyond to the town of Ranahttp://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/kota-kinabalu-sightseeing.htmlIf you arrive early in Kota Kinabalu, take your sweet time to go for sightseeing. There are a lot of places for you to go around and buy some souvenirs. Here, I will give you the places that you should go around Kota Kinabalu. http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/mount-kinabalu-package.htmlThis is an illustration of Mount Kinabalu climbing package that you could plan to save your travel budget. This illustration will be shown to you, step by step, as detail as possible, so that you can compare with other Mount Kinabalu climbing package around the internet. I am not a tour operator or a travel package operator, just a friend who tried to give you the most relevant information for your journey.http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/compare-climbing-package.htmlNow that you have decided to come to Sabah and conquer Mount Kinabalu, you will be shown the options around the internet on the best climbing packages around. All of the packages stated on this page are organized by a recognized tour operator, and currently we are not involve on any of them.http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/2d1n-package.htmlFor those who have a very limited time to spend on climbing Mount Kinabalu for 3D2N, you can actually cut down your trip to 2D1N. You need to make some minor adjustment of your travel itinerary as you will not stay in Kinabalu Park HQ for the first night. The only one night stay for the climb to Mount Kinabalu is your place to stay in Laban Rata.http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/malaria-prevention.htmlMount Kinabalu is situated in the Island of Borneo, South East Asia, which is one of the malaria endemic areas around the world.Malaria is an infectious disease and maybe a deadly illness. Humans get malaria from mosquitoes infected with parasites. You can prevent yourself from getting malaria by: * Taking antimalarial medication, and * Avoiding mosquito bites. http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/about-us.htmlHi. My name is Ruhaizad Daud. I am a Malaysian and live in Sabah with my wife and kids. I am a doctor by profession and I love outdoor activities. I am always passionate about Mount Kinabalu and mountain climbing, and that is why I wrote about Kinabalu in this website.